1. Adam Ondra Climbs V16, Twice

The strongest cliimber in the world got even stronger in 2011

If Adam Ondra was on top of the climbing world in 2010, he was on another planet in 2011. This spring, the 18-year-old Czech sent four routes at the bleeding-edge grade of 5.15b, including Chris Sharma’s Chaxi Raxi project and Bernabe Fernandez’s controversial route Chilam Balam. In between, he managed to find the time to onsight seven 5.14c’s; to put that achievement in perspective, the rest of the world’s top climbers combined have onsighted a total of three. But his most impressive sends came in the space of two months this fall, when he climbed two boulder problems at the almost-unheard-of grade of V16: Christian Core’s Gioia and a traverse that Ondra dubbed Terranova. Two V16’s in a year would be an incredible achievement for a dedicated boulderer. For Ondra–first and foremost a route climber—it’s just more evidence of just how far ahead of the game he is.